


If Anything Happened to You

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, Episode Tag, Episode: s01e17 The White House Pro-Am, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-02-28
Updated: 2004-02-28
Packaged: 2019-05-15 16:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14794139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Everyone is up in arms after Charlie disappears.





	1. If Anything Happened to You

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

If Anything Ever Happened to You 

By Donna

Author’s note: All characters of "The West Wing" are property of Aaron Sorkin, NBC, et al. No profit is being derived from the use of the characters on the part of the author. New characters: Lauren Forbes and Jonathan Stewart are the property of the author.

Category: General, crisis 

Characters: Charlie/Zoey 

Rating: PG-13 (for language) 

Archive: Anytime, anywhere (just let me know where and when and give me credit) 

Summary: Everyone is up in arms after Charlie disappears.

(This takes place shortly after "The White House Pro-Am" and before "What Kind of Day Has It Been".)

 

Jed was pacing again. He had been doing it for the last two days.

"Sit down, Jed," Abby said for the hundredth time.

"We should have heard something by now."

"I know," she answered, "but you’re going to wear a hole in the carpet."

He didn’t respond. He just shot her an angry look that she simply ignored.

"What does the FBI say now, Leo?"

"Same as before, Mr. President." Leo hadn’t slept in the last forty-eight hours. The strain in his voice was evident.

"Dammit Leo! I’m the President of the freaking United States! I’ve got billions of dollars in technology and brain trusts and investigators and you mean to tell me they can’t find a twenty-one-year-old kid for God’s sakes?"

Leo was ready to explode, but to do so would do no good. He massaged his temples and responded wearily, "They’re doing everything they can, Jed."

Leo’s use of the President’s familiar name was telling. Jed sighed and sat on the couch next to his wife. "I know," he said sadly, "I know."

The door to the Oval Office opened. Zoey Bartlet walked in. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. Her normally ivory skin was pale and blotchy.

Abby went over to her unsteady daughter. Supporting her around the younger woman’s waist, she eased the girl over to the couch. "You should be sleeping, Zoey."

"I couldn’t sleep, Mom. The sedatives didn’t help."

"Oh Zoey," Abby said with concern in her voice.

Zoey turned to her father. "Any word yet?"

Jed looked at his baby girl. It was tearing his heart into pieces to see her so distraught, but he knew he couldn’t lie to her. "No sweetheart, nothing."

"So that’s it the. He’s dead."

"God, Zoey! No! Don’t even say that!" Jed exclaimed.

"It’s true isn’t it? You were thinking the same thing."

Leo moved and sat across from his Goddaughter. Placing his hands on her knees, he looked the young woman in the eye. "Zoe, no one is giving up here. No one. We all believe that he’s okay and we’re not going to stop until we find him." ‘One way or the other,’ Leo thought to himself.

"Give me a break, Leo. We all know about the threats. You heard the message. There have been no demands, nothing. Even the FBI admits that after forty-eight hours, the likelihood of finding a missing person alive is next to impossible. The trail is cold and the longer he’s missing the less likely he’ll turn up. It’s been almost three days," Zoey wailed.

"That doesn’t mean anything," Leo said. "Charlie’s very resourceful. He can handle himself in any situation."

"Don’t patronize me, Leo." Zoey was angry now. "We all know that in this country, it’s possible to make someone disappear and the body is never recovered."

"But that doesn’t mean -" Abby began.

"Please, Mom. I heard you and Dad talking. The people who are making those threats are more than capable of murdering someone and disposing of the body and they will never be caught." She looked to her father for confirmation.

Jed didn’t flinch from her penetrating gaze. In the beginning, he had made the mistake of not being up front with her. He wasn’t going to try being evasive with her now.

"You’re right," he said slowly. "I’m not going to lie to you. It doesn’t look good. But we have everyone out right now trying to locate Charlie. But, if something has happened to him, I promise you Zoey, I will not rest until those responsible are caught and punished."

Zoey nodded. She curled up next to her father and laid her head across his chest.

Jed put his arm around her and held on. "Leo, why don’t you go and get some rest. You look like hell."

"With all due respect, sir, you don’t exactly look like the picture of health yourself."

"Jed’s right, Leo," Abby countered. "You haven’t slept and I’d wager you haven’t eaten much since all this started." Leo started to protest, but Abby waved him off. "Don’t argue with me, McGarry. I’ve taken the liberty of having a meal sent up to the residence. Mallory brought you some things from your hotel room. Shower, eat and try to sleep for a couple of hours. If anything breaks, I’ll send someone for you."

Leo turned to his best friend. Jed shrugged his shoulders and gave him a look that said, ‘What do you expect me to do about it?’ Defeated, Leo stood up and stretched. He looked down and noticed that Zoey had drifted off to sleep in her father’s arms. He kissed the top of her head and turned to leave. He fought back the tears in his eyes. He was as afraid for Charlie as everyone else. He was also afraid that if they didn’t hear something soon, he was going to be the one who would break his Goddaughter’s heart. He hugged Abby and left quietly.

Abby was about to suggest sending Zoey upstairs. Before she could speak, Jed said, "Let her stay." He eased his way from under his daughter’s sleeping form and laid her down on the couch. He took a blanket and draped it over her. He couldn’t bear to watch her sleeping so peacefully, knowing how much she was hurting inside. He was grateful that the sedative had finally kicked in, allowing her to rest her body, if not her soul.

Jed went over to a window and stared outside. Abby came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

"She’s right, you know," he stated simply.

"About what?"

"Charlie’s probably dead."

"Jed, no!" Abby exclaimed.

"Come on, Abby. Let’s be real about this. There have been threats. He’s been missing for three days without a trace. His family has all but disappeared. And we’ve seen for ourselves the evil that men can do."

"We can’t give up on Charlie, Jed. For Zoey’s sake, we can’t give up until we know for sure."

"And then what? If he turns up dead, how do we deal with that? How do we help her survive that?"

"Whoa, Jed. Let’s take this one step at a time."

They were silent for a few moments. Then Jed sighed deeply. With a voice etched in more sorrow than Abby had ever heard before, he said, "How did this happen? How the HELL did this happen?"

  


	2. If Anything Happened to You 2

If Anything Ever Happened to You - Part 2

Disclaimers are all in Part 1.

 

Thursday Morning

Jed stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He went into the bedroom to get dressed and waited for Charlie to bring him notes for his schedule for the day. Thirty minutes later, Jed called down to Charlie’s desk. When he didn’t get an answer, he called his secretary.

"Good morning, Oval Office," came the crisp, efficient voice of Jed’s longtime secretary. It never ceased to amaze him how she could be so chipper at 7:00 a.m.

"Good morning, Mrs. Landingham," he responded gruffly.

"Good morning, Mr. President. Did you have a good night?"

"Any night I can sleep through without the world going to hell in a handbasket is a good night Mrs. Landingham."

"That’s good, sir."

"Have you seen Charlie this morning?"

"No sir, I haven’t."

"Oh." Jed thought for a moment. "Call Zoey for me. No. On second thought, call Gina Toscano’s room."

"Yes sir." She put him on hold and a minute later, he heard the phone on the other end ringing.

"Hello?" the woman answered sleepily.

"Gina?"

"Good morning, Mr. President," Gina answered. She stifled a yawn and sat up quickly, forcing herself to become completely alert.

"Did I wake you?"

"No sir," she lied. "I just haven’t had my morning coffee."

He didn’t believe her, but he let it slide. He got right to the point. "Gina, did Charlie spend the night in Zoey’s room?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"Gina, I know we’ve had this conversation about protecting Gina’s privacy, but I need an answer to my question."

‘Something’s wrong,’ Gina thought quickly. "No sir," she said aloud. "Charlie left around ten last night. He mentioned going home to get some sleep because he had an early morning."

"Hmmm." Jed thought about that. He then voice another thought. "Gina, I need you to check with the night relief detail. Find out if Zoey left her room at all during the night or if Charlie came back. Then check Zoey’s room to see if he’s there." His tone indicated that he was in no mood to discuss this breach of his daughter’s privacy or the violation to the silent code of agent/protectee confidentiality.

"Yes sir," she answered. She put him on hold and quickly slipped on a pair of jeans and went to the door. Speaking to the agent in the hallway, she got the answer she expected. Then she went to Zoey’s room.

Zoey’s first class didn’t start until the afternoon, so Zoey was sleeping in. Gina didn’t want to disturb the girl, so when she opened the door, she made a quick survey of the room. She closed the door quietly and ran to the phone in her own room.

"Mr. President? Zoey’s alone in her room. I’ve also confirmed with the night detail. Charlie definitely left the campus shortly after ten. Zoey did go hang out with some friends down the hall and returned to her room around midnight."

Jed swore softly, increasing the level of alarm in Gina’s mind. When he next spoke, Gina sensed he was forcing himself to remain calm. "Gina, is she awake?"

"No sir. Her first class isn’t til this afternoon."

"All right. Don’t wake her. Gina, I’m going to tell you something. I need to know that you will not say anything to Zoey about this until I have more information."

"Of course, sir."

"Charlie didn’t show up for work this morning. I’m going to check with Leo and Josh shortly and I’m going to send someone to his apartment to see if he’s there. When Zoey gets up, ask her if she’s heard from Charlie. Don’t make it into a big deal. If she wants to know why you’re asking, lie to her. Tell her that one of the other agents found his wallet or something, I don’t care. Just don’t let on that anything’s wrong."

"Yes sir."

"He’s probably running late. Or maybe he’s sick," Jed said to himself, rather than to the woman on the other line.

"Sir," Gina queried, "if anything has happened…"

"I’ll send for Zoey."

"Yes sir." He ended the connection. Gina sank down on the bed. ‘This is not good,’ she thought to herself. ‘If something has happened to Charlie…’ she didn’t complete the thought as she cast a glance at the closed door of her sleeping charge. Gina didn’t know what was going to happen. She just knew she had to be prepared. She quickly went to the shower. She was definitely going to need that cup of coffee.

  


	3. If Anything Happened to You 3

Jed’s next call was to Leo. "Leo, Charlie didn’t show up for work this morning."

"You checked with Zoey." It was a statement, not a question.

"Gina says he left Zoey around ten. No one has seen or heard from him since."

"I know what you’re thinking, sir," Leo said reluctantly.

"Get on this, Leo. I want answers in fifteen minutes."

"Yes sir." Leo barely got the words out before the line was broken. He sighed; he hadn’t even had his coffee yet. "Margaret!"

His red-haired assistant was there instantly. "You bellowed?"

"I’m not in the mood today, Margaret. Call Charlie Young’s apartment. And get Josh and Sam in here now."

"Okay." She turned to leave when Leo stopped her.

"Margaret. Get me the number to those FBI agents. You know the ones."

"Sure Leo." Margaret’s stomach flipped. If Leo wanted those agents…this was bad.

Five minutes later, Sam and Josh entered Leo’s office followed by an anxious Margaret. Leo didn’t even acknowledge the younger men’s presence. "Anything, Margaret?"

"No answer. I also checked with his building’s security office. He never made it home last night."

"Damn."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Leo," Josh asked, "what’s going on?"

"What I’m about to tell you stays here." He paused and looked at them directly. "Charlie didn’t show up for work today." He didn’t give anyone a chance to react. "He left Zoey around ten last night and no one has seen him since then. Have either of you heard from him?" Sam and Josh shook their heads in stunned silence. "All right. Josh, get over to his apartment. Find out if he’s there, if he’s sick, hurt, whatever. And check on Deena, make sure she’s okay. Sam, contact the hospitals in the area. See if he was admitted anywhere. Give them a description; he could have been admitted as a John Doe. Have Kathy and Bonnie help you on this. Margaret, check with DC Police; see if they have any reports of accidents or crimes involving anyone matching Charlie’s description. The President expects an update in ten minutes."

"What about CJ and Toby," Sam asked.

"No one who is directly involved is to be told about this, is that clear?" Leo responded. "Time is of the essence here. Go."

Sam and Josh went scurrying out of his office. Margaret remained, trying not to give way to the panic that was rising inside her, but she needed to voice her concerns. "Do you think-"

Leo cut her off. "Margaret, right now I don’t know what to think. I need some answers. Beyond that, I don’t even want to go there."

"Has anyone told Zoey?"

"No. Not until we know something definite." He flopped down in his seat for the first time since he entered his office. "Do you have those numbers for me?"

"Right here." She handed him a slip of paper.

"Thanks." He nodded to her and she excused herself. Leo dialed the number on the paper. After two rings, the line was picked up.

"Federal Bureau of Investigations. Agent Forbes speaking."

"Lauren? It’s Leo McGarry."

"Leo? How’ve you been?"

"I’ve been better." He spoke quickly, bringing the agent up to date. He finished by saying, "This is unofficial right now, but I wanted you to be aware of what’s going on, just in case."

Lauren was writing as Leo spoke. When he finished, she said, "I’ll do some checking. Let me know if you hear anything."

  


	4. If Anything Happened to You 4

True to his word, Jed was in his office in fifteen minutes. Leo joined him there.

"What do we know," Jed asked curtly.

"Margaret checked with DC Police. They have no reports of accidents or arrests involving Charlie or anyone matching his description. Sam is checking with the hospitals in the area and Josh is on his way to the apartment. We should be hearing from him shortly.

"Good." Jed stared at the floor for a moment before he spoke. "If anything’s happened to him, I don’t know how I’m going to tell Zoey." He looked up at his friend. "She really does care a lot about him."

"Yeah," Leo answered, "I’d say she does." At that moment, Margaret and Sam entered the Oval Office from the side entrance through Leo’s office. "I’ve got Josh on the phone," she said.

"Put him through," Leo replied. Margaret left and a moment later, Jed’s phone rang. Leo punched the speakerphone and spoke. "Josh, I’m here with Sam and the President. What have you found out?"

"He never made it home. I checked his apartment. It doesn’t look like anything’s been disturbed…"

They heard the hesitation in Josh’s voice. "What else, Josh?" Jed asked.

"One of the security guys said that he saw Deena leave last night in a cab. He doesn’t know which one."

"What time did she leave?" Leo asked.

"Around ten-thirty. And I checked with Deena’s school. She didn’t show up this morning."

Jed wearily turned to his Deputy Communications Director. "Sam, anything?"

"No," Sam replied. "None of the hospitals have admitted or treated anyone matching Charlie’s description in the last twenty-four hours."

Leo said, "Sam, get back on the phones. Contact the cab companies and find out who picked up Deena Young at her building last night." Sam nodded and left the room. "Josh, get back here now."

"I’m on my way," Josh answered and hung up.

Jed sat down. "This can’t be happening, Leo."

"Sir, we’ve got to let CJ and Toby know what’s going on. Sooner or later, someone is going to start asking questions."

"Yeah. Give me a few minutes, will you?"

"Of course." Leo left for his office.

Jed picked up the phone and called his wife’s office. Lilli Mays told him that Abby was en route to a breakfast meeting in Virginia. She quickly put him through to Abby’s cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Abby."

"Jed?"

"Abby." He sighed deeply.

"Jed, what’s wrong?" When he didn’t answer immediately, she sat up, her voice more urgent. "Jed, what’s wrong? Are you sick?"

"No, I-"

"Jed, you’re scaring me."

"I need you, Abby."

"For God’s sake, Jed! What’s wrong?!"

"It’s Charlie. He’s missing."

"Oh my God," she breathed. "Does Zoey know?"

"Not yet. I don’t know how to tell her about this."

"It’ll be okay, Jed," she said with more confidence than she really felt. "I’ll be home as soon as I can."


	5. If Anything Happened to You 5

Gina was in the hallway talking to Mike, her partner. She briefed on the conversation that she had with the President and stressed that Zoey was not to be alerted until they were given orders by the President. They were both convinced that this was a mistake, but they also knew that their instructions had been made perfectly clear. Knowing of the threats that had been directed toward both Charlie and Zoey, Gina and Mike were strategizing how to increase their coverage of her without alarming her. If Charlie’s disappearance was a first strike by white supremacist groups, Zoey could easily be the next target.

Their conversation was shattered by Zoey’s cries from her room. "Oh God! Gina!"

Gina bolted to the girl’s room, gun drawn, every nerve in her body taut with anticipation. Mike stood at the other side of the door, gun also at the ready. Nodding, she quickly burst through the door, gun first, ready to fend off whatever enemy had gotten through their security perimeter.

At the sound of the door opening, Zoey jumped and stared wide-eyed at Gina and Mike. "What?" she said shakily.

Gina did a quick sweep of the room. Zoey appeared to be unhurt and alone. Her hair was dripping wet and she was in her bathrobe. Gina signaled for Mike to stand down and they both lowered their weapons but didn’t holster them. Gina asked, "What is it? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," Zoey said carefully. "It’s just…I- I heard…" She pointed to her answering machine.

Satisfied that Zoey was in no immediate danger, she holstered her weapon, as did Mike. Seeing the light on the machine, Gina pressed the play button and listened. As the message played, Gina looked at Mike. His grim expression matched her own. She signaled for him to leave the room. Mike nodded and closed the door.

Zoey witnessed the exchange between the two agents. "Gina, what’s happening? What’s going on?"

"Zoey, don’t panic."

"Gina!" Zoey cried, trying to blink back tears.

"Zoey, listen to me. This doesn’t mean anything. You shouldn’t assume that anything has happened to him."

"Anything? Like what? Gina, what aren’t you telling me?"

‘Oh damn,’ Gina thought. "Zoey. I need you to get dressed. We’re going to the White House."

"Why? Gina, I’m not moving until you tell me what’s going on."

Gina sighed. There was no way she was going to be able to bluff her way through this, President’s orders or not. Especially after hearing that message. "Your father called this morning. Charlie didn’t show up for work this morning and no one has seen him since he left here last night." At Zoey’s sharp intake of breath, Gina quickly added, "We don’t know anything has happened yet."

"But you heard the tape!"

"Yes, I know. But we can’t assume anything."

"But Gina- "

"Zoey!" she said sharply. "I need you to listen to me. You need to get dressed - right now. And we’re going to the White House. We’ll deal with this there."

Zoey nodded numbly. She ran to the bathroom and shut the door. Gina sat down at Zoey’s desk and picked up the phone.

  


	6. If Anything Happened to You 6

Part 6

Leo was talking quietly with the President when the senior staff entered. After dispensing with the formalities, Toby started right in.

"Leo, do you mind telling me why I’ve spent all morning trying to revise a speech that the President is supposed to be delivering this afternoon, but my usually trusty deputy has corralled my assistants, his assistant and Josh’s assistant into some secret, clandestine mission-"

"That’s redundant," Sam said.

"Some secret, clandestine mission," Toby repeated, ignoring Sam, "while I, on the other hand, have been pulling out my hair-"

"What’s left of it," Josh snickered.

"That’s enough out of you, you reject from the ‘Hair Club for Men’," Toby growled.

"Ow. That hurts," Josh whined.

"Will you two knock it off?" CJ said, annoyed by their antics. "Josh, where have you been all morning? I’ve been trying to get an update on that education reform bill for my briefing this afternoon."

"Attending a secret, clandestine meeting," Josh said sarcastically, with a look to Toby.

"That’s enough," Jed said. "Remember me? I happen to be the President of the United States, leader of the free world, the most powerful man in the nation - and your boss."

"Sorry sir," everyone echoed.

"Thank you. That’s better. Now Sam, what have you got?"

Sam looked directly at the President. "We found the cab company. They confirmed that they picked up Deena at approximately 10:35 and dropped her off at Dulles at 11:10."

"What airline?" Leo asked.

"United."

CJ was puzzled. "Deena? Deena Young? What’s going on?"

Leo spoke up. "With apologies to CJ and Toby. We didn’t want to say anything until we knew something for sure." He brought the staff up to speed on the morning’s events.

CJ said softly, "Oh man. This is bad. Does Zoey know?"

"Not yet. And we’re keeping this between us for now. No press, CJ," Leo said. CJ nodded in agreement.

"Do I take it that the President’s schedule - including the DAR luncheon for which I have been rewriting a speech for all morning - has been cancelled?" Toby asked quietly.

"Absolutely," Jed answered. "Until we know Charlie’s whereabouts, I’m not leaving."

"You can’t do that, sir," CJ stated. At Jed’s scowl, CJ spoke directly. "With all due respect, the press already has your schedule for the day. If you cancel your appearance at this luncheon, there’s bound to be questions from the press. And short of physical illness or a national emergency, the tap dance I’ll have to do with the press corps will do nothing but put those bloodhounds on the scent. If they even sense that we’re trying to hide something, they won’t let up and we’ll have to come clean."

"We could say the President is ill," Josh said.

"We could. But he just had that bout with the flu a few weeks ago. If I tell them he’s sick again, then we’ll start them wondering about his health. If I say it’s food poisoning, then there’ll be questions about security. And we can’t say he ran his bike into a tree again," she said with a smile.

Jed smiled back. He knew CJ was right, but he still wasn’t convinced. Then Toby spoke up. "CJ’s right, sir. Rescheduling appointments is not unusual, but canceling a public appearance - especially with the DAR - would be a disaster."

"I know you want to see this through," Leo said sadly, "but they’re right. You’ve got to at least show up at that luncheon."

"Yeah," Jed answered in defeat, "I know." At that moment, the phone rang. "Yes, Mrs. Landingham? Put her through." He paused for a moment. "What happened?" He listened anxiously. "I see. When?…It’s okay. You did the right thing. Bring her here. And the tape. Thanks." He hung up the phone and leaned back into his chair, rubbing his forehead. Bad had suddenly turned to worse.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

"Zoey got a call on her answering machine from Charlie." He looked at Leo. "We’re gonna need the FBI."

Everyone’s heart sank. One thought was on everyone’s mind: kidnapping - or worse. Leo finally spoke. "They’ve already been alerted. I’ll have them here within a half hour."

Jed looked at him quizzically, then nodded in agreement. "Zoey will be here by then." He turned to the senior staff. "I know how much Charlie means to all of us, but we’ve still got work to do. Leo, you’re with me. Josh, you stick with the FBI. Find them some place to work where they won’t be obvious. Get them whatever and whoever they need to help. CJ, keep the press occupied. If they ask why the Feds are here, tell them we’re working on new security measures with the Secret Service. Sam, Toby, finish up that speck. I’ll want to see the final draft in one hour. That’s all people."

"Thank you, Mr. President," they echoed as they left.

Leo stayed behind. Jed looked at him with a mixture of admiration and accusation. "You called the FBI."

"Yeah. After I spoke with you. I wanted them to be alerted just in case." Noticing the withdrawn look on his friend’s face, Leo asked, "How’s Zoey doing?"

"She’s scared for Charlie. She’s pissed off at me."

"Why?"

"I’d guess it’s because I didn’t tell her about Charlie. She’s angry because I kept it from her and Gina was the one to tell her what was going on. She got ambushed by that message."

"She had to know you were only trying to protect her," Leo said.

Jed shook his head. "Right now, the only thing my daughter knows is that her father lied to her about her boyfriend. And she can’t see beyond that."

"She’ll get over it. Once we find Charlie, she’ll calm down."

Jed looked at his best friend with eyes more haunted than Leo had ever seen before. "If we find him," he said miserably. "Wait til you hear the message."

  


	7. If Anything Happened to You 7

Part 7

Upon their arrival at the White House, Gina immediately went to brief her superiors, leaving an angry Zoey to face her father. She walked into the Oval Office to find him talking with Abby, Leo and two other people she didn’t recognize.

"Hi Mom, Leo." She didn’t trust herself to say anymore. She purposely did not acknowledge her father. She was still angry at him for not telling her what was going on.

Abby got up and hugged her daughter. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah Mom. I’m fine." She looked daggers at her father.

He could read the fury in her eyes, but he didn’t flinch from her gaze. Jed simply said, "Zoey, I’d like you to meet Special Agents Lauren Forbes and Jonathan Stewart from the FBI. Agent Forbes, Agent Stewart, my daughter, Zoey Bartlet."

The dark-skinned woman stood and greeted Zoey with a handshake. Her partner also stood; he practically dwarfed everyone in the room. Lauren spoke first. "Miss Bartlet, it’s good to meet you, although I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Same here," Zoey responded. "Please call me Zoey.

"Fine, Zoey." Lauren gestured to the couch across from them and they all sat down. Lauren noticed that the girl sat as far away from her father as she possibly could. However, he remained silent. He was defaulting control of the situation to the two agents. Lauren took all this in, then spoke. "Agent Stewart and I have been investigating the threats that have come in against you and Charlie Young. We’ve been called in to investigate his disappearance."

"You think that one of those white supremacist groups is responsible?"

"Not necessarily," Jonathan said. "We’re treating this as a routine disappearance, but we are also investigating those leads."

"Have there been any demands or anyone claiming responsibility?" Zoey asked.

Lauren smiled briefly. This kid was sharp. "Not so far. But if one of these hate groups is responsible, they’ll make themselves known soon enough. We’ve got the phones tapped her in the Oval Office, Leo’s office, Josh Lyman’s office and the residence. If they make a call directly, we’ll be ready to trace." She quickly changed the subject. "Zoey, I need to ask you some questions. First, I need a description of what Charlie was wearing last night."

Zoey sighed. "He was wearing black jeans, a white t-shirt and a black v-neck sweater with gray trim. I gave it to him for Christmas," she added softly.

"Okay. Did you have a fight?"

"No."

"Was he upset about anything?"

"Other than the fact that he was going to have endure my father’s pleasant morning disposition, no," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Take it easy, Zoey," Abby warned.

Jonathan spoke up. "Zoey, was there anybody around campus giving either of you a hard time?"

"No. We just stayed in my room watching movies. You’d have to check with Gina to see if she noticed anything."

Jonathan made a note. Leo had already arranged for them to speak with the Secret Service detail later.

Lauren picked up the thread of the conversation. "Zoey, your father said you got a call from Charlie last night."

"Yes. I went down the hall to my friend Lisa’s room. We were studying for our anatomy quiz, so I wasn’t there when he called. By the time I got back, I was so wiped I didn’t even notice the answering machine until this morning."

"Do you have the tape?"

Zoey nodded and reached into her purse and pulled out a small plastic bag with a mini-cassette. She handed it over to Lauren, who pulled out a small cassette player. She popped the tape in and pushed the play button. From the noise on the cassette, it was obvious that the call came on a cell phone, there was a lot of static and breaks within the tape. Lauren turned up the volume on the machine and listened intently along with the rest of the room’s audience to Charlie’s voice:

"Zoey….need your help….tell your father…don’t let him….sorry." The message ended abruptly.

As it played, Zoey gripped her mother’s hand for dear life. Leo looked sick and Jed had paled. Zoey quietly wiped a tear from her face. Even though she had heard this before, the reality of Charlie’s disappearance coupled with the fact that the FBI was now involved was tearing Zoey’s heart in two. She managed to keep her voice steady as she asked, "Have you tried contacting his sister?"

Lauren looked at Jonathan then at Jed and Leo. Zoey didn’t miss this silent exchange. "What happened? Where’s Deena?"

"She’s missing also," Abby answered.

Zoey sank back on the couch. "This just gets better and better!"

At that moment the phone rang. Leo answered it and handed it over to Lauren. She answered and listened intently. She glanced over at her partner and jotted him a note. He read it and nodded in agreement. She hung up the phone and made a few additional notes. The phone rang again and this time Leo listened then said, "Mr. President, Toby and Sam are here to review your speech for the DAR Luncheon this afternoon."

Zoey didn’t say a word. She jumped up from the couch and went to stare out a window. She was furious with her father for not leveling with her in the first place. Now he was planning to carry on with his day as if nothing had happened.

If Jed and Abby were to rate Zoey’s anger on a scale of 1 to 10, she would be at about 12. Jed was about to say something to her, but Abby shook her head. She knew that if Jed said anything right now, he and Zoey would wind up in a shouting match. Right now, cooler heads had to prevail. This was not the time or the place to deal with the emotions that were boiling under the surface; there would be time for that later.

Lauren observed all this and decided on her next course of action. "Zoey, have you ever been to Charlie’s apartment?"

"Yes. A few times," came the reply.

"Do you think you’d be able to tell if something were missing or out of place?"

"I suppose so."

"Good. I need you to go with Agent Stewart to the apartment. If you notice anything at all out of place, tell him. It may help us to figure out what’s happened."

At first, Zoey didn’t respond. But she finally nodded and went to gather her things. She blew out of the office, followed by Jonathan.

Leo waited until the door was closed soundly before he spoke up. "You know something."

"Yes," Lauren answered. "But it’s nothing that she should concern herself with."

"But why send her to Charlie’s apartment?"

"Because of her relationship with Charlie, she may have a more, shall we say, intimate knowledge of his surroundings and his life. She may or may not provide us with clues that will help us locate him and his sister."

"Bull," Jed said tersely.

"Jed," Abby said.

"You can skip the Psych 101 lesson, Agent Forbes. You already know that nothing Zoey finds at the apartment will be of any use to you in this investigation. You wanted her gone because you already know what’s happened to Charlie."

"Not exactly, sir."

"But you do have some more information," Abby said.

Lauren nodded. "When Leo called, I began some digging. I made a few phone calls. The DC Police found Charlie’s car, abandoned, about ten miles from the Georgetown campus. His cell phone was there, inoperable."

"No," Leo whispered.

"There’s more. There was a charge to his credit card for two tickets on a United flight to Atlanta last night. Our assumption was that they were headed for their grandparents’ home. They never made the flight. Our field office in Georgia made a check on the grandparents’ home. They found the house in a shambles; no sign of either of the residents."

"Dear God in heaven," Abby prayed softly.

"What else?" Jed’s voice was hard. "Finish it."

Lauren let out a long breath. "We’ve secured the surveillance video from Dulles at the United entrance. Deena Young made it to the airport. Before she checked in at the ticket counter, she was accosted by an unknown white male, who led her out of the airport." She looked Jed in the eye and said, "His head was shaved clean."

"WHAT!!!" Jed roared. "Where was airport security!"

"They apparently did not believe she was in any immediate danger. She appeared to leave willingly."

Jed stood up, enraged. He uttered through clenched teeth, "Agent Forbes, whatever it takes. Find Charlie and Deena Young."

"Yes sir." Lauren stood. "I’ll be in touch," she said to Leo. Leo nodded escorted her to the door.

Abby went to her husband and placed her hands on his shoulders. The tension seemed to ease at her touch. "Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I’ll have to tell Zoey about this."

"Why?"

"Because she has a right to know what’s going on. I’ve always played it straight with her, Abby. This time, I held back. She’s so angry with me right now, she won’t even talk to me."

"She’ll get over it, Jed. When she’s had a chance to slow down and process everything, she’ll calm down and she’ll understand."

"I hope so, Abby." He looked up at his Chief of Staff. "Leo, have Toby and Sam come in. Might as well get this over with."

"Yes sir." He went to the phone and spoke briefly.

Abby asked, "Want me to come with you to the luncheon?"

"No," he replied. "You’d better be here when Zoey gets back."

"Okay." As Toby and Sam entered, she leaned over and kissed him. "It’ll be okay, Jed. It’s going to be okay."

  

  


	8. If Anything Happened to You 8

Part 8

Two hours later, Zoey was back at the White House. She went upstairs to her room and laid across her bed. She was scared for Charlie, frustrated with the FBI and angry at her father. She needed to go somewhere and let it all out. She quickly jumped up and changed into some sweats and headed for the gymnasium.

The gym was located on the level between the main residence and the first floor. It was designed with state of the art equipment and was meant for the First Family and their guests. Since Jed had taken office, it hadn’t seen much use.

Zoey started out on the treadmill. She spent nearly twenty minutes on the machine when Abby walked in.

"I didn’t know you were back," Abby said.

"I didn’t feel much like talking. How did you find me?"

"Gina told me."

"Oh."

Abby stood at the head of the machine. Zoey didn’t break her stride, so Abby continued. "Did you find anything?"

"Nope," Zoey answered. "Nothing’s really missing except Boo." "’Boo’"?

"Yeah. Boo is Deena’s favorite stuffed animal. Charlie told me that their mom gave it to Deena on her birthday the year before she died."

"I see," Abby said. "So if ‘Boo’ is missing, it’s a safe bet that Deena took it with her."

"I guess." Zoey clammed up and increased the speed on the treadmill. Soon she was in a flat out run.

Abby watched her daughter for a few minutes. She knew that when Zoey was angry, she tended to shut down rather than deal with her emotions. When they finally erupted, they were often misdirected and out of control. And like Jed, Zoey would lash out at whoever happened to be in the line of fire. Jed was already under enough stress; Abby wanted to diffuse the situation as much as possible before her daughter finally spoke again to Jed.

She sighed. "He’s really sorry."

"What?"

"Your father. He’s sorry about what’s happened."

Zoey stopped the treadmill. She stood there panting for a few seconds, then spoke. "About Charlie being missing or about not telling me the truth?"

"Both."

"Fine."

"Zoey, don’t do this," Abby warned.

"Do what?"

"Shut your father out. Not now. You both need each other to get through this."

"I don’t want to talk to him."

"But you should."

"No."

"Zoey…"

"I said no, Mom."

Abby shrugged. "Fine. Be that way." She turned and headed for the door.

Zoey sighed. "I hate when you do the grandma thing."

Abby stopped and turned back, a small grin on her face. "Did it work?"

"Yes. I’ll talk to him."

"Good."

"After he apologizes."

"Zo-ey," Abby said in exasperation.

"Mo-om," Zoey mimicked.

Abby shook her head and left the room. Zoey restarted the treadmill and continued her run.

An hour later, a weary Jed walked into the Oval Office and found Abby waiting for him. "So, how did it go?" she asked.

"It was fine. I had chicken, Leo had beef. I read the speech. Toby was ecstatic."

"Why?"

"I didn’t have the heart to ad-lib." He hesitated. "Is she back?"

"Yes."

"How is she?"

"Okay. Stubborn just like you. She wouldn’t talk to me."

"Is she still mad at me?" Jed asked softly.

"On a scale of one to ten," Abby answered, "she’s about a six."

Amazed, Jed asked, "How did you do that?"

"I pretended to be your mother," Abby replied with a smirk.

"Very funny," Jed said. He sighed deeply. "I suppose I should go talk to her."

"Yes, you should."

"I don’t really want to."

"Neither does she, so this could be really productive," Abby said sarcastically. She added softly, "You should go talk to her."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"So where is she?"

"In the gym."

He nodded and headed for the door. Suddenly, he stopped and looked quizzically at his wife. "We have a gym?"

By the time Jed found her, Zoey had moved from the treadmill to doing arm curls with dumbbells. "You know," he began, "it took me a full twenty minutes to find this place." Zoey only glared at him, so he continued. "Look Zoey, I know you’re mad at me--"

She dropped the weights, the heavy metal clanging on the floor. "How could you not tell me?" she screamed. "You knew and you didn’t tell me! I had to hear that message and Gina had to tell me! Not you! How could you not tell me! How could you not tell me!" The outburst drained the residual anger from her and she collapsed in a puddle of tears, her body slack from exhaustion.

Jed knelt down and cradled his daughter in his arms. "I’m so scared, Daddy," she whispered through her sobs. "I’m so scared for him."

"Shhh…I know, baby. I know. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry." He rocked her back and forth, softly whispering words of comfort to try and ease her pain.

  

  


	9. If Anything Happened to You 9

Part 9

As the hours wore on, the FBI was seemingly at a loss. No one had called requesting a ransom and Agent Forbes reported that no one had come forward to claim responsibility for the alleged kidnapping. Questioning the heads of the local white supremacist cells proved to be futile; they were all wishing they had made such a move and bragged about what they would have done if they had been responsible. All other leads dried up.

On Friday, Agent Forbes reported more bad news. The Atlanta office reported that Charlie’s grandparents were also missing and their house was in shambles. The local police had no leads and the only fingerprints found at the scene were those of the residents of the house.

This news sent Jed reeling and sent Zoey spiraling into a deep depression. She refused to eat and sleep only came by artificial means. Zoey had fought her mother against taking sedatives, but Abby finally put her foot down and insisted that Zoey sleep for a couple of hours. Abby hadn’t realized how deeply attached Zoey had become to Charlie. In many ways, Abby thought it was as deep as her connection to Jed.

Abby found she was less persuasive where Jed and Leo were concerned. Jed only catnapped and Leo wouldn’t leave the White House. Jed refused to leave his office except to check on Zoey. Zoey wouldn’t leave her room except to hang out in the Oval Office. The rest of the senior staff wisely kept their distance, coming only when summoned; they knew their concerns and fears would only add to the burden that their President and Chief of Staff were bearing.

As grand master of this delicate game of protecting the sanity of the people she loved, Abby knew she was slowly losing her battle. When she found herself alone, she silently prayed for some good news - any news - that would bring an end to this saga. The waiting was too much; her family was crumbling right in front of her eyes.


	10. If Anything Happened to You 10

Part 10

Sunday Morning

Abby walked into the Oval Office to find Jed stretched out on of the couches. She groaned inwardly. If he slept on the couch all night, he was going to have problems with his back. Back trouble only meant two things: Jed was going to be a grouch and not want his meds; Abby would be forced to make him take his meds and he complain how they made him feel goofy.

Her concern for her husband was outweighed by the sight of her daughter. Watching as Zoey stared out of the office windows, Abby could swear the girl had lost five pounds over the last three days. She was going to waste away in front of her mother’s eyes. Abby had never felt so helpless in her life.

Zoey sensed another presence in the room and turned to find her mother staring at her.

"How long have you been awake?" Abby asked.

"A few hours," Zoey answered. "I didn’t want to disturb Dad, so I stayed here."

Abby crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Zoey; the girl leaned on her mother’s shoulder. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"I don’t know. Numb. The longer we wait for news, the harder it becomes for me to hold out hope. I want to believe he’s okay. But I guess, deep down, I know I’ve lost him forever."

The lifelessness in Zoey’s voice was frightening. "Zoey, you can’t let this destroy you. No matter how this turns out, you have to go on with your life."

"Your mother is right, Zoey," Jed said quietly. As they turned to see him standing before them, Jed gently pried his daughter from Abby’s arms. He took her by the shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "I’ve already lost one person that I care about. I’m not about to lose my daughter, too. There’s no way I’d survive losing you."

Zoey could see the ears forming in his eyes and her heart broke. She hugged her father and held on to him tightly. He returned the embrace and felt her slender body trembling. "I don’t know how to let him go," she said through her muffled sobs.


	11. If Anything Happened to You 11

Part 11

There was a soft knock and the door to the Oval Office opened. "Excuse me, Mr. President."

At the sound of the familiar voice, Zoey looked up and screamed, "CHARLIE!" She flew out of her dad’s embrace and tackled Charlie full force. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him passionately.

Charlie, slim but solid, staggered under Zoey’s full weight. He regained his balance and, mindful of where he was, tried to fend off his girlfriend’s kisses. "Zoey," he gasped, "babe, you’re choking me."

She didn’t care. "Oh God, oh God, thank you! Thank you!" She finally pulled away and looked at him, his face in her hands. "I can’t believe it! You’re alive! You’re alive!"

For their part, Jed and Abby stood in awe. They were both too stunned to speak. Their delight at Charlie’s return and seeing Zoey’s joy was mirrored by their confusion at the young man’s sudden reappearance. Finally, Jed managed to choke out, "Charlie? Where the hell have you been?!"

A few seconds later Leo bounded through the side door from his office. "I heard Zoey scream…" He stopped mid-sentence, taking in the scene unfolding before him. In an almost freakishly eerie parroting of his friend’s sentiments, Leo exploded. "Charlie? Where the hell have you been?!"

Zoey grinned. "It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that he’s alive," she said happily.

"Like hell!" Jed blurted out. He advanced toward the couple. "Young man, do you have any idea what you’ve put us through? We’ve been out of our minds with worry!"

"Not to mention having nearly every law enforcement official across the country searching for you," Leo chimed in indignantly.

Charlie managed to extricate himself from Zoey’s grasp long enough to register the level of concern and alarm on the faces of everyone in the room. Confusion and dismay clearly showed on his face. "I’m sorry. I don’t understand." He looked from Jed to Leo for clarification of the situation.

Abby saw all this and stepped in. "All right everyone. Let’s all take a deep breath and calm down." She gestured for everyone to take a seat. Zoey and Charlie sat on one couch, Leo and Abby on the other. Jed refused, still to angry to sit still. Abby ignored him and focused on Charlie. In a deliberately calm voice, she began speaking. "Charlie. You’ve been missing for three days. No one knew where you were. Deena and your grandparents have also turned up missing. The FBI and various state and local law enforcement agencies are all out looking for you."

Charlie turned to Zoey. "Didn’t you get my message?"

Zoey nodded. "Yeah, but it sounded like you had been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped!"

"Yeah."

"You mean…" He stopped and looked at the faces of everyone in the room. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. "Oh no…"


	12. If Anything Happened to You 12

Part 12

Abby knew Jed and Leo were ready to pounce on him with a thousand questions. To forestall this, she spoke quickly. "Charlie, why don’t you tell us what happened."

Charlie sat up and nodded. He looked at Abby and began speaking. "It all started Thursday night. I was on my way home from Zoey’s. I got a call on my cell phone from my grandmother. She was hysterical. She said my grandfather was dying or something. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but she begged me to come down. I made sure she had called for help and I told her I’d be there as soon as I could. I called and made airline reservations and then I called Deena and told her to pack a couple of bags for us and to call a cab and meet me at the airport."

Jed finally sat down as Charlie continued. "Because it was so late, I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I called Zoey to tell her what had happened. My battery in my cell phone was dying and the phone went dead before I could finish the message."

"What did you say?" Zoey asked. "Because your message sounded like you were being held hostage or something."

Charlie thought for a moment. Then he said, "I think I said something like, ‘I need your help. Tell your father I had to go out of town to check on my family. Don’t let him get excited and overreact, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. Tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t give him more notice’ or something like that."

"Well, that explains the message," Zoey said.

"Charlie," Leo said, "we know you purchased the airline tickets, but you never showed up at the airport. And DC police found your car, abandoned."

"Yeah. Well, I was racing to the airport and my car up and died. I managed to push it to side of the road. I was going to call for a tow, but my cell phone was dead. I was going to flag down a cab, but then a car pulled up. The driver was an old friend of my mother’s. I filled him in on what was happening. He offered to fly us down in his private plane."

"Which explains the airline tickets," Leo said.

Now it was Jed’s turn. "Charlie, the FBI gave us a videotape from Dulles security. Deena showed up and some guy practically dragged her out of the airport."

Charlie nodded. "Was he a tall, lanky white guy, wearing a baseball cap, bald?" Jed nodded. "That was Jake, the pilot. He’s always been bald."

"So where’s Deena now?" Zoey asked.

"She’s still with our grandparents."

Abby spoke up. "Charlie, the FBI didn’t find any trace of your grandparents. And when they checked their home, it was in shambles."

"That’s true. My grandfather apparently had a massive stroke. He stumbled through the house, knocking things over. My grandmother found him as he was collapsing. Their next-door neighbor was just coming home from work when he heard the commotion. He found them. Like I said, my grandmother was in hysterics. The neighbor is a neurologist. He quickly diagnosed what was wrong and how severe the stroke was. He made a few calls and arranged for my grandfather to be admitted to one of the best neurological facilities in Georgia. He arranged for the life flight. By the time I found out where he had been taken to, Deena and I had to fly there. My grandfather was admitted, but it was touch and go for a while. I finally filled out the paperwork late Friday night. Once his condition had stabilized, I made arrangements for Deena and my grandmother to stay with him. I came back as soon as I could."

"How is your grandfather doing?" Abby asked.

"Well, the doctors seem to think he’s going to be okay. They’re optimistic that he’ll make a full recovery. He’s going to be transferred to a rehab institute closer to home and he’ll have to undergo some intensive physical therapy for a while. Once he’s home, he’ll probably need some assistance, more than my grandmother can give, but Deena will stay and help as long as she’s needed."

"If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to the doctors myself and see what rehabilitative program they’ve outline for him. And I’ll also help your grandmother arrange for everything that they’ll need once he’s home, including home health care services."

Charlie sighed and smiled gratefully at the First Lady. "I’d - we’d be really grateful for your help. Thank you, ma’am."

Leo said, "Guess I’d better call off the manhunt. I’ll let the staff know you’re okay. You’re going to have to give the FBI a statement."

Charlie spoke up quickly. "Mr. President, Mrs. Bartlet, Mr. McGarry. I want to apologize for all of this - confusion. I assumed that Zoey got my message and told you what was happening. I should have called to check in, but with everything that was happening--"

Abby interrupted. "You had more important things on your mind, Charlie. That’s understandable."

Charlie shook his head. "Yes, but it was my responsibility to notify everyone--"

"Save it, Charlie," Jed said. "We’re just glad you’re okay. We’ll talk about how this will NEVER happen again tomorrow." He stood. "I’m starving. Abby, Leo, let’s go get some breakfast." He winked at his daughter and headed out the door with Abby on his arm and Leo one step behind.

Zoey and Charlie stood and walked out the veranda doors. Zoey had taken Charlie’s hand and they walked in silence towards the Rose Garden. Charlie finally broke the silence. "Zoey?"

"I’m glad your grandfather’s going to be okay."

"Thanks." He stopped walking and faced her. He could see the toll the last few days had taken on her. "I’m sorry for what I put everyone through. Especially you."

She slapped him on the arm. "You really scared the hell out of me, you know that?"

He pulled her into a tight embrace. "I’m really sorry for that. I never wanted you to go through something like that."

She blinked back tears. "If anything ever happened to you…" She couldn’t complete the thought.

"Don’t worry," he said soothingly, "nothing’s going to happen to me. You’ll never lose me again." He lowered his head and kissed her softly.

END


End file.
